Repiping Your House – What You Need to Know

Repiping Your House – What You Need to Know

You may have been told recently that your house needs repiping. It’s good to know what you are getting into before you go through with the process. There are multiple reasons someone decides to repipe a house. Perhaps you’ve had multiple leaks due to faulty or old pipes. Sometimes pipes can rust over time depending on the type of pipes that were used in the home. This can cause red or brown water, indicating that your pipes are old. Another incident is low water pressure, which can be caused by mineral or rust buildup, a sign that your pipes are aging. If you live in an older home (50+ years), you’ll likely need new pipes installed as the types of pipes installed back then have been known to burst and corrode.

What to expect when your house is repiped

The first thing you are probably wondering is, how much does it cost to repipe a house? Generally it costs between $2,000 to $16,000, depending on the size of your home. The complete replacement of the piping system involves replacing all of the cold and hot water pipes in the house. The plumbing company will remove small parts of the drywall in your house so they can get to the pipes. Once they cover all of your furniture, floors and other items in the house, they will cut into the wall. The new pipes and system are installed before the old system is turned off. Once set up, the old system is turned off and unplugged from the water line. The tie-ins from the water service line are then plugged into the new system.

But where do the home’s old pipes go? Well, you might think that they are removed, but this is often not the case due to the high costs involved. It’s important that your contractor drains the pipes of any excess water before completing the job. In the instance of horizontal repiping, the lengths of the pipe that are being replaced will be removed from the wall and disposed of.

Another commonly asked question is “how long does it take to repipe a house?” It can take two days to a week to replace the pipes in your home. The water is only shut off when the last step takes place, changing over from the old to the new system. If for some reason your old pipes are so heavily damaged that water can’t run through them during the completion of repiping, then you may need to find a place to stay while the plumbing contractors work to install your new pipe system.

Conclusion

Repiping a home is a major plumbing repair job, so it’s important you hire a trusted contractor. It’s an essential part of home upkeep. Without properly functioning plumbing, a home’s value can quickly decrease and other damages can occur. It’s important to take action quickly to preserve the life of your home and ensure the water is flowing as it should. If you are having your home repiped, consider using this time to add new fixtures in your home that could better match your home’s new water pressure.